Ooarai Girls Academy vs. BC Freedom High School
The battle between Ooarai Girls Academy (bracket number 4) and BC Freedom High School (bracket number 3) was the second match of the first round of 41st Winter Continuous Track Cup Sensha-dō Tournament. The match grounds consisted of open fields, small town and the hilly profile along the river. The result of the match is still unknown. Battle Premises On the day of the match, five minutes just before the match, it was still not known whether the battle would start at all. All the BC Freedom girls and one Ooarai team (Shark Team) arrived almost late. Moreover, there were signs of internal struggle among BC Freedom girls seen even in their uneven V formation during their arrival to their starting location, as Andou in her SOMUA S35 was constantly harassing Oshida in her ARL 44 which resulted in the exchange of fire from almost point blank range with both of the shots being inaccurate. Seeing this and with Yukari Akiyama's espionage report the other day, the Ooarai girls concluded this should be an easy battle as the enemy school seemed to be totally apart and seemed to lack the proper fighting morale. Early skirmish After the start of the match, Momo has Duck Team and Leopon Team scout the fields to stay on safe side per Miho Nishizumi's advice and the rest of the platoon continues their straight way. The BC Freedom commander Marie decides to do no scouting and sends two groups of tanks, one composed of four SOMUA S35s and the other composed of four ARL 44s to find enemy's scouts and to start her grand scheme. Both the BC Freedom groups let themselves to be found by two Ooarai scouting tanks and let them to be followed. After some time after finding the good place in a nearby town, SOMUA S35s suddenly aimed and attempted to land a shot on Duck Team's Type 89B from behind a corner. Duck Team takes the cover behind another building and exchanges fire with the enemy. One SOMUA stays to stall the Duck Team on place while the rest of SOMUAs go on. Team Leopon is suddenly ambushed in a blind corner overgrown by the vegetation by two ARL 44s and is too forced to take cover and return fire. Three ARLs sneakily left the site, leaving one ARL 44 against Leopon's Porsche Tiger. Both Duck team and Leopon Team apparently failed to notice the other tanks left the sites of those skirmishes. In the meantime Miho Nishizumi deduces the fifth ARL 44 and FT-17, the enemy flag tank, must be on the hill behind the river canyon. The rest of Ooarai team wades through one shallow river with Shark Team in need of a little push by Rabbit Team, seemingly unnoticed. The two groups of BC Freedom tanks led by Oshida and Andou meet in the fields again and head to the direction of the river's shore. It's a trap!! After crossing through a narrow corridor, the Oarai girls come to the wooden bridge over a wide river, seemingly unnoticed by Marie, her driver and the crew of the fifth ARL who have been either taking a nappy time, eating or playing pétanque. Miho and Momo decide to carefully and slowly cross the bridge as their target is still too far and it would be much easier to shot at them from the other side of the bridge. Once all the seven Ooarai tanks are on the long wooden bridge (reinforced by large metal joists), Sodoko has a sudden premonition and starts to look around. Her Morals Committee sense was correct. The three SOMUAs on one side and three ARLs on the second side of the bridge are already there to start the bombardment which also serves as a signal for Marie. The wood and metal joists are sturdy enough to withstand the concentrated fire, but the floor below Anglerfish Team and Mallard Team collapses with both of the tanks nearly falling down the bridge. The Ooarai girls start to both panic and returning fire. The fifth ARL 44 and Marie's FT-17 joined the bombardment from atop the hill. Ooarai girls are completely trapped and face a three way crossfire. Marie just wonders whether the fight will be over before she finishes eating her cake. Operation Hare of Inaba Realizing the situation, Leopon and Duck teams leave their place, leaving the SOMUA and ARL behind and hurry to help their comrades, but they are too far away. The Ooarai tanks received some scratches of the defected shells, Momo was in a state of panic and wonders, what is happening. Yukari and the rest of Anglerfish Team realize they were completely tricked, so Miho comes up with a plan as they are unable to hit the enemy tanks which are too distant and the bridge's condition nears its limit. Miho Nishizumi asks Momo Kawashima to order Shark Team's Mark IV to let the front of the tank fall from the bridge and serve as a ramp leading from the collapsing bridge to the shore of the river. The Ooarai is lucky enough that the Mark IV tank is placed in the blind spot of both SOMUAs and ARLs, so Ogin can go out to take down the Jolly Roger flag. Under heavy bombardment, all the Ooarai tanks manage to safely leave the bridge which collapses right after Anglerfish Team left it as the last. Mark IV gets jammed for a short time and with a loud sound of crack lands on its tracks safely. Ooarai tanks then engage the ARLs and SOMUAs on the shores, scratching some of them as neither of tanks is able to directly hit the target in a weak point. Retreat and the phase two Marie is surprised, her perfect plan ultimately failed and orders all her tanks to retreat as SOMUAs and ARLs on the shores seemed to be too much eager to continue the fight and seemed to be too prone to recklessness, furthermore, Duck Team and Leopon Team finally arrived and started to fire on enemy tanks from behind. Both Ooarai tanks and BC Freedom tanks regroup on different places of battlefield without any casualty. Ooarai girls decided to fight harder in second phase due to their underestimation of the enemy. BC Freedom girls showed the proper solid tank formation for the first time, singing the Le Chant de l'Oignon song. The battle will continue in the second part of the Girls und Panzer das Finale... Gallery Fall of the Bridge.jpg|Operation Hare of Inaba Ooarai_tanks.jpg|Ooarai tanks advancing BC_Freedom_tanks.jpg|BC Freedom tanks fighting with each other while advancing Category:Battles Category:Ooarai Girls' High School Category:BC Freedom Girls' High School Category:Flag Matches Category:Winter Continuous Track Cup